The court has heard that Mapisa-Nqakula paid about R1.7 million in cash for renovations at her house.
Former National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula. Picture: AFP
Former defence minister and National Assembly speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula maintains that she did not receive a cent from state witness Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu.
On Wednesday, Mapisa-Nqakula returned to the High Court in Pretoria, where she continued testifying in her corruption case.
Mapisa-Nqakula resigned as National Assembly speaker and member of parliament (MP) in April 2024 and handed herself over to the Lyttelton Police Station that same month.
This followed the Pretoria High Court’s dismissal of her application to block her arrest on corruption allegations the previous month.
At the time, she said she wanted to dedicate her time and focus to dealing with the case against her. She said the resignation was not an admission of guilt.
Mapisa-Nqakula is facing 12 counts of corruption and one count of money laundering. She is accused of receiving and soliciting R4.5 million, with R2.1 million allegedly received in cash from Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu, a service provider to the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), between December 2016 and July 2019. She has denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty.
Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu has now turned state witness.
Money for US trip
On Wednesday, Mapisa-Nqakula testified about her official trip to the US in September 2018. She said she received an allowance for the trip, like other officials when they travel outside the country.
Although the money was not that much, it was still enough, as the government paid for most things, including accommodation, she said.
“By the time you arrive, your accommodation is sorted, inclusive of breakfast and sometimes dinner. In my case, even laundry services. There is not much that you will do from your side in terms of expenditure because everything has been taken care of, unless you choose to do something else; then you use that allowance because it was given to you,” said Mapisa-Nqakula.
Allegations are that Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu gave Mapisa-Nqakula the dollar equivalent of R150 000 for the trip. She denied this.
Mapisa-Nqakula’s Ethiopia trip
On Tuesday, Mapisa-Nqakula testified about her trip to Ethiopia in February 2019.
The court heard that Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu allegedly delivered a wig she had promised Mapisa-Nqakula to the Defence VIP Lounge at OR Tambo International Airport.
Allegations are that the wig came with R300 000. Mapisa-Nqakula denied this in court on Wednesday.
“As for the R300 000, there was no way you could have received it because money would have to go through the scanning machine. Besides, I was travelling to another country; even there, once you enter, you are required to declare what you possess. On top of it all, what would I have used that money for in Ethiopia? I never requested money from Nombasa for travel to Ethiopia. I never received that money,” said Mapisa-Nqakula.
She further denied receiving R400 000 and another R100 000 from Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu, which was allegedly exchanged during the service provider’s visit to Mapisa-Nqakula’s home.
“I did not receive money from Nombasa. I did not ask for money from Nombasa. Nombasa indeed came in the company of Lilitha. If she was in possession of money, she did not give it to me on that day.”
House renovations
The court previously heard that Mapisa-Nqakula paid about R1.7 million in cash for renovations at her house. These were carried out over several years, from 2004 – years before she allegedly started receiving money from Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu.
Mapisa-Nqakula started living in the house in 2004, the same year the renovations started. She could not recall all the renovations done to her house.
“I never imagined I would be standing before this court and providing details and expected to remember when I did the renovations. My apologies if I am not able to remember,” Mapisa-Nqakula told the judge.
Since 2010, she has renovated the kitchen, installed a coal stove, changed the cupboards, joined two bedrooms to hers, and stripped all the carpets in the house and replaced them with wooden floors.
She denied allegations that Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu paid for some of these projects.
‘Threat to my life’
More renovations were done to her house after threats to her life were reported.
“It was not the first time. My house is across a park. On two, if not three, occasions, when security assessments of my house were done, one thing constantly raised was how it is built. Another person not in my position would simply say there was no problem. But there was. Because they said the park across was a security risk,” she explained.
The Department of Public Works gave her a R100 000 allowance for security measures. She used this money to build a wall.
“In 2016, another incident forced another security assessment of the house. That’s when we closed up the house so that when you walk out, you’re not facing the danger. The majority of the work that needed to be paid, we paid it.”
